DUJAC, CONTERNO, CASA PIENA, REALM, SQN, SAXUM (WSWOTY), CLOS MIMI - Dante’s (11/21/2010)
Last night my wife and I joined another couple at Dante’s in Cleveland’s Tremont area. The food was excellent as was the service. We went at a slow pace allowing us to have time to enjoy our food and conversation as well as the wines. The wine list there is very good. It specializes on wines under $50, but there is some really cool stuff and older vintages as well. They even had some red wines from Radikon and Gravner which will require a trip back! This moves to a tie with Fahrenheit for my favorite restaurant but when you add in their wine list it might be at the top. Of course, the best part of these evenings is visiting with friends and for that we feel truly blesses as no matter how good the food and wines are, the company is the best part.
-
2002 Dujac Fils et Père Puligny-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
Served off the list and it took some time to warm/open up. Light golden in color. Nice nose of lemon, smoke and chalk. Good acidity. Nice starter for the evening. (90 pts.) -
2000 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Riserva Granbussia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Decanted, but only for about 30 minutes. This is still quite young and needs plenty of time. It did not “mix” well with the other wines on the table and some found it weak in relation. I though it was gorgeous. Great nose of tar, roses, sour cherries and bit of funk. If also had a dusty quality that was difficult for some. Great silky texture. As the eveningprogressed it unwound. I wouldn’t open up another bottle for 5 years and 15 would be just fine. (94 pts.) -
2006 Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
My first time trying this wine. My wife liked it far more than I. It is solid and very good. At $40, I might be a buyer (its about 3 times that). Cassis, and some earth. Made in a more feminine style. It does have a nice delicacy and worked well with the food. (89 pts.) -
2005 Realm Cellars The Absurd - USA, California, Napa Valley
My first time trying this as well. Really an excellent wine. I think it was slow-o’d for an hour or so. It is singing but some time in a decanter (maybe an hour) would be fine too. Lots of cassis, some earth, smoke and black licorice. Full bodied with a velvety texture. Complex now, but age will allow it to unwind. OTOH, you would miss that youthful exuberance it is showing today. This is the kind of wine I love when I think about Napa. I believe it is a blend of Cab, Merlot and Petite Verdot (40/40/20?). Long finish. Went just fine with the food too. (94 pts.) -
2005 Sine Qua Non Syrah Atlantis Fe2O3~1a, b & c - USA, California
Some might think that is a disappointing rating (for an RP100 point wine) and I might agree. This wine was outstanding, but when your expectations are high… I have had this a few time now and I think it is in a tweener phase. Past it’s lush baby fat, not quite showing all of its complexity, perhaps asleep a bit, the oak seemed too pronounced. Yet, the texture is sexy and juicy. There is still a lot of fruit; black raspberries and blueberries. Pin point balance and a long finish. Not the best at working with foods. This wine had been decanted for 8 hours and maybe that was an issue though i don’t think so. FWIW< I would hold these at this point. (93 pts.) -
2007 Saxum James Berry Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
With all the hoopla (RP100 and WS WOTY) it seemed like a great time to open a bottle. Add in the insane prices this is selling for and I thought I better pop one while I still can
I decanted this for about 12 hours. Like all Saxums, this is a huge wine yet still so light on its feet. I got no heat, but one can certainly feel the 15.8% alcohol. My wife found it a poor food match. I pretty much saved it to drink after dinner but it did seem to go wel with a very interesting Japanes Eggplant dish I had. This wine has a surreal texture and really does dance acorss my palate. For a big wine, it has a contemplative quality that made me think I would like to be alone in front of fireplace drinking it. Nah, i was having too much fun, maybe the next bottle. It is still quite young and at the end of the day, is really a typical Saxum albeit from a very good vintage. I’ll probably open a couple more before the hype dies down and then try to wait five years or more to revisit. (97 pts.)
-
2003 Clos Mimi Grenache Hommage à Henri Bonneau - USA, California
So, speaking of hype, I really enjoyed Tim Spears two part interview with Gary V. on WLTV, so I thought I would throw one of his wines into the mix. This is a Grenache dessert wine, 18.5% and not fortified. Not quite dry, but just a hint of sweetness. It went superbly with the Brownie dessert. Ruby in color. The nose has a chocolate covered raspberry quality. On the palate, this is lush and thick and while there is some heat, it is not bad (far less than say a good vintage port). This plays out more like a Banyuls, but I really liked it. It was popped and poured, but I suspect that some air would really help it out. Very nice! (92 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker